W-b Redevelopment Authority Approves Payment Of $680,000 In Project Bills

2 Hurt In 2-vehicle Crash

MARY THERESE BIEBEL
 Wednesday, January 16, 2002 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9A 





Tattered and footsore, the tiny orphan walked from village to village in
war-torn France. She slept in haylofts or under trees, accepted the occasional
bit of bread from farm families, and sometimes had nothing to eat except
berries she found in the woods. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once in while soldiers from the occupying Nazi forces would notice her and
ask questions. What was she doing? Where were her parents? Sixty years later,
she still bears a scar on her left arm from the time one of them hit her with
a bayonet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Somehow, she always managed to convince her interrogators she was ``just a
little French girl, no threat to them.'' They would let her go. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Thank God they didn't examine my socks,'' says Evelyne M. Lang, who today
makes her home in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If they looked inside her shoes, Evelyne might have been killed. Nestled
next to her feet were secret coded messages for the French Resistance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I really walked from post office to post office in each village. I had no
idea what the messages said. It was totally secret.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In each town she slipped her important note to the post master, who sent
her off with a new message for the next destination. Over several months,
Evelyne says, she walked all the way from Paris to Nice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's 429 miles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some people might find her story hard to believe, but I think it's
credible. Desperate situations prompt heroes to face all kinds of hardship, no
matter how young they are. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So Evelyne slept in a dry sewer when she had to. She was grateful whenever
a farm wife gave her a pair of castoff shoes - though they were usually
uncomfortably large. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still full of energy &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Evelyne and I chatted recently when she called the Times Leader newsroom to
ask about volunteer activities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She is retired after holding many fascinating jobs, including positions as
a reporter and photojournalist for the Spanish edition of Life magazine. And
she wants to keep busy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Evelyne volunteers at WVIA-FM, where she researches musical facts,
maintains a file of clippings and regularly impresses the staff. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're constantly amazed by her energy and enthusiasm,'' radio personality
Erika Funke told me later. ``I've never seen her played out. She always wants
to learn, and she never ceases to surprise us with things she has
experienced.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This is a woman who crossed the African plains in a Land Rover, wrote
children's books about that continent and speaks four languages fluently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She is so fond of her friends at WVIA that she gave them a portrait of
composer Aaron Copeland, whom she captured on film as he was raising a finger
to his lips to quiet an orchestra. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Evelyne declares she couldn't live without music. She loves to sing, and
even her speaking voice has a cheerful musicality that defies the difficulties
she has seen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the time she was 5 years old, her father had died in a plane crash and
her mother's weak heart had given out. World War II interrupted her childhood.
Then, when relatives brought her to New York and sent her to school, ``the
girls laughed at my accent.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, she adds, ``Somehow all these experiences strengthened me. I think God
saved me for a mission. I feel very much I want to serve people.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As we discussed volunteer possibilities, Evelyne sounded excited about
teaching adults to read or maybe helping Habitat for Humanity in its quest to
provide housing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I'm not too good on the ladder but I can certainly carry things.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Oh, that's right. Evelyne has always been good at carrying things. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even the most precious cargo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hidden in ill-fitting shoes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Woman's Story Is Amazing Journey Down Life's Road